Official name

Republic of Seychelles, Republique des Seychelles

Political status

Independent Sovereign state within the British Commonwealth

Geographic location

A group of approx. 115 small islands, islets and coral reefs located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Africa and to the north of Madagascar

Territory

Approx. 455 sq. km

Exclusive economic zone

1.374 million sq. km in the Indian Ocean

Climate

Sub-equatorial tropical, rather humid. Seychelles lies outside the Indian Ocean cyclone belt

Capital

Victoria (population approx. 60,000) located on the main island of Mahe

Population

Approx. 81,000

Major ethnic groups

Seychellois (mixture of Africans, French, British, Indians, Chinese, Arabs)

Official languages

Creole, English, French

History

Discovered by Arab traders in the Middle Ages, and then re-discovered by the Portuguese navigators in the 16^th century, Seychelles were then frequented by traders and pirates of various nations, until the French formally took possession of the islands in 1742, and started permanent settlement in 1770, and spice plantations in 1771. The English occupied Seychelles several times during Napoleonic Wars, and the Treaty of Paris in 1814 transferred sovereignty to the British Empire. In 1903 Seychelles became a separate British Crown Colony. Seychelles attained independence from the British in 1976

Local currency

Seychelles rupee (SR, SCR), has a rather stable exchange rate against world’s major currencies, currently 1 USD = approx. 13.5 SR

Economy

Tourism, fishing, light manufacturing, offshore services

Main economic partners

UK, France, Republic of South Africa, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, India, Kenya